Marmotocracy

From the Forum - Jerry recommends:

“The absolute best light jacket I have ever used, whether traveling or up on the high peaks or on a sailboat is the Marmot Dri-Clime.

I’ve got two of them, one for the peaks and one strictly for traveling and what goes along with that.

The design has been changed a couple of times over the years but for my dollar and comfort, this Dri-Clime cannot be beat!

Packs very well, lightweight, oblivious to wrinkles, comfortable in both warm and cool temps.”

Comments

[Michael W.]

I second the nomination of the Marmot Windshirt as best traveler's jacket. I've been using them for hiking and travel for years. They cost about $89 for the basic version up to $150 for the expensive version, but often go on sale at REI and right now (12-17-08) REI's website has a 20% off coupon code for walk-in or mail orders.

These have been around for years, so there is usually more than one "model" to choose from. The two to look for are, first, the classic "original" which has no side pockets, just a zippered chest pocket, and has "shirt style" tails, which are split at the bottom like a shirt so you can tuck them in if desired. The other one has a straight, jacket-style hem and pockets - there is a version without zippers on those handwarmer pockets, and a version with zippers.

All are made the same basic way: a tee-shirt thickness liner, made of a good wicking synthetic, is on the inside, and there is a nylon shell on the outside. The shell has webbing at the armpits to allow more breathabiliy when you use this for hiking. The shell is very water repellent. On a flight, the ability to comfortably zip this ultralight (10 ounces), thin jacket up to my chin helps keep my neck warm. Despite the thinness of the lining, these will keep you as warm as a 200 weight fleece jacket in still air, much warmer than fleece in the wind or rain due to the shell.

YMMV, but I like mine in basic, all black. The colored versions usually have sleeves in colors different from the trunk, so the effects can border on garish (or colorful).

You can "stuff" the jacket into its own pocket, but this leads to a few wrinkles, so I usually carefully fold my men's Medium into a little square which fits (barely) into a 1 quart Ziploc bag. I squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and stuff it in my carry-on bag until needed.